Saturday, 2 June 2007

Archaeologists find rare fruit, textiles in Greece

Athens, May 10 : Greek archaeologists have discovered a rare find of textiles and fruit dating back over 2,600 years in a bronze funeral urn in northern Peloponnese.

The seventh-century BC urn, dating between the Late Geometric and the Early Archaic era, contained ash, bones and pomegranate fruits. It was found in a construction site near the city of Argos, approximately 150 km west of Athens, the culture ministry said Wednesday.

"Preserved organic matter from ancient times is extremely rare," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the "important find" is among the earliest ever found in the antiquities-rich area.

The city of Argos was considered a regional power in ancient Greece and a rival to neighbouring Sparta.